You said you liked horses, didn't you?
by DragonLover4Life
Summary: Another little one shot, this time entailing Yona being determined to learn how to ride a horse and a little fun here and there. Nothing much.


"You said you liked horses, didn't you?"

"I did, I just. . . forgot how big they can be, is all" Yona muttered awkwardly, as she shied away from the big animal when it started to impatiently paw at the ground.

Hak rolled his eyes.

"Well we don't have all day. We were lucky enough that Yun managed to talk that merchant into letting us use borrow his horses, so long as we dropped off a delivery or two of his along the way to the next town over. It'd be a weeks' walk if we were to go on foot with all our stuff, so we should take advantage of the extra help while we can. Besides, you want to see Lili again as soon as possible, right?"

"Yeah, I know, just. . . hold him still while I get in the saddle ok?"

"I got him don't worry. Do you need a leg up?"

"Huh?" she replied with a bemused look, to which Hak chuckled in response.

"I mean, do you need me to help boost you up or can you climb up all on your own?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed, looking rather embarrassed "no, I'll be fine."

They had recently gotten word from Lili that small pockets of Nadai had started to appear again within the water tribe and she wanted to head over and help make sure to quell the issue before it grew.

To do that however, they had sent word back and forth for a few days before agreeing to meet up in one of the smaller, more rural towns where they had first seen sightings of Nadai appear again. This meant, as Hak had just so clearly explained to her once again (as if she didn't already know), that they were going to need some help to cut down on travel time if they were to help Lili as soon as possible.

With the horses, it would cut a weeks' walk down to around three days, so long as the weather held up.

Yet once again, Yona was faced with one of her shortcomings, inherited from her time sheltered within the palace walls.

She had never learned how to ride a horse.

And while not too long ago, she had ridden with Hak when they went to intervein in the attack with the previous General of the fire tribe on the crown, she had more or less just clung on for dear life and tried not to look down at the thundering hooves beneath them while Hak did most of the work.

It wasn't that she found the animals themselves particularly scary with their warm brown eyes and soft muzzles that would nudge her sleeves in hopes of finding treats. It was the fear of falling off and getting trampled that had kept her from ever learning.

Yet here she was, stalling to climb up into the saddle as Hak waited patiently holding the reins for her.

Scolding herself for letting her silly fears make her hesitate and hold up the rest of the group who already sat astride their mounts either in partners of alone depending on who else knew how to ride, she shook her head and grabbed hold of the saddle and attempted the hop up –Only to immediately fall back down.

At the sound of muffled snickering beside her, she felt her face flush and quickly made work of trying again, _this time_ remembering to actually put her foot in the stirrup first.

After trying again and putting more force into her jump this time, she managed to haul herself half up onto the saddle, albeit somewhat stranding herself. She could feel her stomach beginning to bruise as the dark leather dug in as she lay draped across the poor animals back, unsure of how to correct herself.

Just as she started to try and shimmy herself the rest of the way up, almost toppling over the other side in the process, a pair of strong hands grabbed her waist and gently hauled her back down.

"As amusing as that was, before you break your neck I think we're better off sharing a mount for now. We don't want to waste anymore daylight with Yun having to tend to more injuries." said Hak as he ruffled her hair.

Giving the horse a quick pat on the neck, Hak easily swung himself up into the saddle making her feel the slightest twinge of envy and embarrassment at her previous attempts as he reached down to pull her up and sit her in front of him.

Calling out to the others who were a little ways ahead that they were good to go, Hak reached around her and grabbed the reins as he gently nudged the horse into a walk.

They planned on continuing their journey along back roads as opposed to their usually route of just making their own way through the forest which would be too difficult for the horses to push through.

Jae-ha and Yun took the lead so every now and then Jae-ha could check their position from above while Yun navigated. Kija was in the middle while shin-ah and Zeno followed just behind (just in case Kija found that his practice riding in Hakuryuu village may be a bit rusty) and now leading what would have been Hak's mount with them. This left Yona and Hak to bring up the rear which was just as well considering they were the last ones to mount and were on hunting duty in the hopes of catching something for dinner along the way.

After a while of walking Yun, called back saying he wanted to pick up the pace for a bit so that they could reach the next river by sun down and let the horses rest, as it was already mid-day by the time they had gotten themselves organised and set off. So, with that in mind everyone kicked up into a trot.

This was a little less comfortable for Yona as the incessant bouncing made it harder for her to keep her balance and was rather hard on her rear, being as inexperienced with riding as she was.

"You doing ok there, Princess?" Hak asked, watching as she teetered from side to side, desperately trying to hang on by burying her hands in the horse's mane.

"I-I'm fine, just getting my balance is all" she managed to get out, as she focused all her concentration on not falling off.

"Here" he said, securing one arm around her waist and pulling her back against him while keeping hold of both reins in his other hand, "Does this help at all?"

"Yeah, thanks" she replied still gripping the horse's mane but feeling much less likely to fall face first into the dirt.

It was also warmer like this. Not that she would complain, but once they had started to pick up the pace the wind had been chilling her down to the bone and the extra warmth of Hak's embrace and the heat that seeped into her as she leaned back against his chest was a welcome comfort.

It was starting to get cooler now that they were reaching the end of the summer months. They often kept the fire higher to keep everyone warm enough in the tents at night, and soon they would have to look around for better winter clothing. But for now, they would manage.

On and off they alternated between walking and trotting, careful to stay off the main roads as they made their way to their next planned stopping point for the night.

Yun had been sure to plan out how far they should travel each day so as to make it there within their expected three days and while he was at it, picked out good spots that they could find to rest at each night, if only approximately.

By the time they reached their stop by a small gurgling stream (not quite the river Yun had claimed it to be) that cut its way through the fields and forest it was just approaching dusk.

Everyone in their party was eager to dismount and stretch their aching limbs from a long day of riding, and so, promptly went about clearing space for the tents and setting up camp.

While Kija and Zeno were sent to go grab firewood while Jae-ha and Shina-ah helped pitch the tent, Hak simply grabbed what Yona had managed to shoot them down for the dinner and handed it off to Yun before leading the horses away to cool them off and find a place to tie them for the night.

At first Yona tried to help Yun with cooking their dinner as she helped pluck the birds she had gotten and gut them properly, but soon enough Yun was shooing her away once she had finished her task, claiming he was alright and that she should relax for a bit after such a long day. Relieved to receive a break for a while, she thanked him before making her way down to the stream where she could wash her face and sit for a bit.

As she made her way down a deer trail towards the sound of running water she spotted Hak watering the horses and taking off their saddles one by one. There were five horses in total, each well mannered but still lively.

As she reached the bottom of the trail she made her way down to the waters edge and made quick work of scrubbing the dirt and sweat from her face that had accumulated throughout the day. The water was refreshing, but still freezing, leaving her fingers slightly numb when she was finished as she walked over to the horses, now grazing on the long grasses at their feet.

Holding out her hand tentatively to stroke his mane, she slowly approached the grey gelding that had been her mount for the day. In response, he lifted his head mild manneredly and nuzzled her palm in in greeting before turning his head back to the grass. Taking that as an ok, she gently stroked his neck and mane, warming her hands on the animal's sides, still hot from the long days ride.

"Don't go getting too attached, we don't get to keep them remember" came the sound of Hak's voice from behind her, the last of the saddles in his arms as he laid it on the ground beside the others and coming up to stand beside her, giving the grey gelding a pat of his own.

"I was just saying hello is all" she said in return.

"Well don't go picking favourites is all I can say. We'll probably swap them around with the one I was going to ride so that they share the load –that or give the other one some of our gear to carry instead" he muttered absentmindedly to himself as they stood together just as the sun began to dip below the horizon.

"Or I could learn" she said.

"Learn what?"

"Learn to ride. You could teach me" she continued, "It seems like a useful skill to have and I want to learn if I can."

Hak seemed to think it over for a while before answering, "Okay, I'll teach you, but you'll have to learn pretty quietly if you're going to learn at all. I can give you a short lesson here and there when we stop but we can't waste too much time on it or push them too hard, seeing how far we have to go".

"Thank you, Hak. . . I look forward to it then" she said softer as she looked away, towards the water.

"Hey," he said, getting her to look his way again, "don't beat yourself up. You've learned so much already and your willing to learn more. Take pride in that on its own before you start thinking about the things you don't know how to do yet" he said with a warm smile.

"Come on. The others are probably having dinner without us by now. We'll start your first lesson off early tomorrow morning before we set out."

At that, she smiled brightly at him and ran to catch up to as they made their way back together.

{*****}

The next day, just as the first faint rays of light began to trickle through the leaves of the trees, Yona was up and waiting patiently down by the stream where they had left the horses tied for the night as Hak made his way over to join her.

He started off by showing her how to properly mount up and hop back down, using the same grey gelding as they had ridden together the day before as he seemed to be the sweetest of the group and least likely to try and pull any tricks on an inexperienced rider.

Once she was able to do that on her own without trouble, Hak went about showing her how to hold the reins properly, how to sit in the saddle and how to move from a walk to a trot.

This took the longest amount of time as being as small as she was, Yona tended to get bounced around quite a bit, making it harder to stay seated. But he didn't have the time to show her anything too technical before they would have to head out again, so it would have to do for now. Once she was comfortable enough in a trot that they both felt she wasn't in any danger of loosing control or falling off, they stopped for the morning and headed off to grab some breakfast and help the rest of their group pack up.

They would be travelling all day today and so they wanted to leave early enough that they could rest around noon before making the final stretch the next day.

This time around when they all mounted up Yona was able to do so on her own without problem and Hak agreed to let her ride on her own for the day so long as she stuck beside him in case anything went wrong he'd be able to reach her.

At this Yona merely scoffed and told him he worried too much.

Overall the day was fairly uneventful, apart from Kija's horse getting spooked at a snake that had been sunning itself in the late summer heat on the pathway, causing Kija to nearly get thrown off and Hak to proceed to tease him that he should change horses if his was scarred of snakes like himself.

By the time they reached their next campsite for the night, Kija was one word away from trying to take a swipe at him with his dragon's claw so Hak wisely, for once, decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being.

Once he had dismounted himself, Hak went over to help a rather stiff looking Yona as she struggled to remove her numb legs from the stirrups.

"Would you like some help there, Princess?" he asked leaning against a nearby tree as he watched the poor girl try and physically bend down and bring feeling back into her legs.

"Normally I'd say I'm fine and that I can handle it on my own, but just this once I think I'll take you up on that offer because I don't know how long I'll be stuck up here otherwise" she admitted looking more than a little exhausted.

"Fair enough," he said, walking over to stand beside her. "Here, wrap your arms around my neck and I'll lift you down."

She complied and leaned down, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head against his shoulder as he pulled her down and swung her up into his arms, carrying her over to one of the logs one of the dragons had found and pulled over to use as a bench for the group.

After he set her down, he let Yun take over as he fussed over Yona, offering to make he a poultice she could use on her legs to ease the aching and ignored Jae-ha as he shot him a teasing look.

"You seem to be playing the role of knight in shining armor rather well there Hak. Just hope your grey over there changes to white and you'd just about fit the bill" he joked while throwing an arm around Hak's shoulders.

"Can it Droopy Eyes, before I accidentally cause a stampede and get you trampled in the night" he replied in an unamused tone.

"Aww, come on, no need to be so harsh. Yona-dear seemed rather content to be carried like that either way, I'm only pointing out what I'm seeing right in front of me" Jae-ha continued.

"Yeah, well here's to hoping you go blind. You are getting on now after all, aren't your _big bro_. Soon you won't even be able to hide those crows feet anymore"

"What?! I don't look that old!" Jae-ha yelped in disbelief, before hurrying to go find somewhere to use to check his reflection in.

Hak just rolled his eyes at his vain friend and continued to find tasks that needed to be done to occupy himself until dinner was ready.

{*****}

That evening, after everyone had eaten and begun to settle down for the night, Yona went to go find Hak and ask if she could have just one more riding lesson before they called it a night.

She hadn't been neglecting her archery practice or the sword, but she wanted to do her best to learn as much as she could while she had the chance.

She remembered watching Hak and Su-won back when they were all at the palace. How they would practice archery on horseback, and Yona hoped that if she could master both individually, one day she may be able to put them together just like they had.

When she eventually found Hak, he was sitting against a tree sharpening the edges of his glaive, a typical evening wind down activity for him. She sat down beside him and asked him if he'd give her one more lesson and after sighing to himself and looking up at the darkening sky, he smiled faintly and agreed, setting down his glaive for the moment and leading the way to where the horses were relaxing.

He seemed a lot more willing to teach her new things now that she'd proved herself capable of taking on new tasks and that she wouldn't take no for an answer or be pushed to the sidelines anymore, and a part of her felt satisfied at this.

It meant that he was willing to trust her to look after herself a bit more.

That he was a little less likely to immediately throw caution to the wind and sacrifice himself for her sake.

It felt like they were more of a team now.

As they reached the horse she usually rode, instead of holding the reins for her as she got, this time Hak made his way over and got into the saddle himself, which surprised her.

What surprised her even more was when he offered her his hand to help her up with him.

"I thought I was doing well, why are we going back to riding together?" she asked a little bit of disappointment seeping into her voice.

"You have been doing well, and I think you can manage well enough on your own for now. At least for our shorter trips. I figured we could have a bit more fun than just practicing the technical stuff. Just in case though, I'm going with you" he explained, hand still outstretched.

"That just sounds suspicious now" she said, face wary but a look of excitement still began to creep its way in as she took his hand anyways and he pulled her up, this time however, behind him.

"Its not suspicious, it's fun. Now hold onto me tight and don't let go. If you get scared just tell me and we'll stop."

"I won't get scared" she said lifting her chin but holding onto his waist a little more tightly none-the-less, making him chuckle lightly.

"Well if you're ready, then let's go" he said with a grin as he kicked the horse first into a brisk walk, then a trot before taking off in a rolling canter across the open meadow that lay just outside the forest edge.

At first, she was nervous as she watched the ground race below her feet while she clung onto Hak in a death grip, but soon she found her grip relaxing as the feeling of pure elation took over. Unlike the rough and bouncy trot, this was fast and smooth and made her feel as though they were practically flying as the gelding's hooves tore up the grass in his path, seemingly just as happy to move at a faster pace as they were.

A giggle suddenly bubbled its way out of her as they began to circle around the meadow, picking up speed as they went. This was probably the fastest she had ever gone in her life and the thrill of it all was exhilarating as the cold wind whipped at her face and pulled at her hair streaming behind her.

"Can we go any faster?" she asked, sitting up straighter so that he could talk more directly into his ear against the sound of thundering hooves.

"Are you sure, Princess?" he asked, briefly glancing over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the joy spread across her face.

In response she only pressed up against his back and wrapped her arms more tightly around his middle, and that was all the assurance he needed as he urged the horse to go faster, now running at breakneck speed.

They rode around a few more laps before eventually, Hak began to slow down as the night grew colder and their fingers began to grow numb. By the time they had slowed down to a walk, heading back to camp, they were both tired and ready for a good night's rest before the final stretch tomorrow.

Hak dismounted first, helping Yona down as he did earlier and carrying her over to a large maple before heading back and taking off the animal's saddle and tying it up with the others for the night. When he turned around again he took stock of the sight in front of him.

Yona's hair was full of tangled, having been whipped around so much and her dress was all askew, her bow all lopsided and uneven as she slumped against the tree hugging her knees to her chest and a warm smile still glued to her face as she rested her head on her knees.

"We should probably clean ourselves up a bit before we head back, otherwise the other will think we fell off given how we look right now" he joked as he sat down beside her.

"hmm, ya probably" she mused as she started to try and detangle the knots in her hair to no avail.

"Here, turn around" he said, gently helping her as he combed his fingers through her hair, getting the knots at the back she couldn't quite reach and helping to smooth everything down. When they were done, she simply gestured for him to sit still as she helped push his own hair back into something that might resemble being tame. Though, if she thought about it, his hair was usually left to its own devices in terms of style, making her laugh slightly.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just wondering why I'm bothering to fix you're hair, for you. We both know it'll just go back to normal by tomorrow anyway"

"You just couldn't keep your hands off me then is it?" he teased, leaning towards her.

"No!" she said, ruffling, his just fixed hair, out of spite.

"Hey, is that I mosquito in your hair?" he said suddenly.

"What?! Where?" she cried, shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of the offending insect.

"Right here" he said as he gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead before getting up and making his way back to the fire where the others were bound to be wondering where they had gone off to, leaving Yona stunned and still sitting beneath the tree before she finally got a hold of herself and raced to catch up, blushing madly as she went.

"You're mean, Hak" she mumbled from beside him.

"I know" he replied simply, putting his arm around her as she looked away but leaned into his embrace as they continued walking.

{*****}

Hey guys! Sorry this wasn't much, and it was a bit rushed. I probably won't be able to do much writing until my exams are done so I guess this will be a little hiatus until the end of June unless I manage to catch a break somewhere.

So, to have a bit of fun in the meantime, if anyone would like to send me a prompt to write, I'll pick a few to start off with to celebrate when I can come back! Feel free to leave suggestions as a comment or drop me an ask on my tumblr wrath-of-dawn.

For those following The Colour of My True Love's Hair, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it and will continue it after exams along with everything else. In the mean time I'll simply be working on planning out where I want the story to go.

Thanks again to those of you who read my works! 3

And quick question: I know most if not all of my stories end off at night in a sort of sleepy setting (mainly because I do most of my writing late at night and find those kinds of ending relaxing but let me know if you would like me to try and change that up a bit.


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